169: The best business decision I almost didn't make!

4 years ago, I nearly talked myself out of launching my podcast. I didn't feel ready, I doubted whether anyone would listen and I convinced myself I'd quickly run out of things to say. Looking back, I'm so grateful I ignored that voice!

In this special anniversary episode of Online Business Uncovered, I'm reflecting on 4 years of podcasting and sharing the biggest lessons I've learned along the way. While this episode is about podcasting, the principles apply to every entrepreneur who wants to build a sustainable online business.

We explore why consistency is one of the greatest competitive advantages you can have, why confidence only comes through taking action and why building platforms you own is more important than ever in today's online world.

If you've been putting off launching your podcast, YouTube channel, newsletter, digital product or any other big idea because you're waiting until you feel "ready", this episode is for you. Whether you're building a podcast, creating digital products or simply looking for the confidence to take your next step, this episode will encourage you to stop waiting and START creating!

🎟️ Free Online Business Growth Summit (6th–8th October): Register now and discover how to create income beyond selling your time - click here

Transcript

Karen [00:00:00]:
Hello and welcome to Online Business Uncovered. This is episode 169 and today is quite a special episode because this Week I'm celebrating four years since I launched this podcast back in 2022. I thought it would be fun to look back at everything I've learned because while this episode is about podcasting, these lessons apply to every entrepreneur building an online business. So let's jump right in and let's get started. Hello and welcome to another episode of Online Business Uncovered. I am your host, Karen, and I really do appreciate you hitting the play button to listen to today's episode. Now, today's episode is a special episode because today I celebrate four years of having this podcast. So I want to take you behind the scenes of that journey and share a little bit about what has happened and the lessons that I've learned along the way.

Karen [00:01:18]:
Now, what's really interesting to me is that, number one, four years has absolutely flown by. I really don't know where that time's gone. But I'm also going to talk about why I almost talked myself out of starting this podcast and how it's impacted my business, and also why I believe that creating consistent content is one of the best investments that you can make in your business. Before I dive in though, I want to talk about something that I am really excited about. Now, as many of you know, I am currently in the throes of organising the Online Business Growth Summit which is taking place this October, the 6th to the 8th of October. It's happening over three days and this event is designed for service providers, coaches, consultants and experts who want to create more freedom in their business by creating scalable income streams. So taking what I share on this show and actually putting it into action now, over three days, you're going to be hearing from over 18 incredible speakers covering topics from digital products, marketing, sales, social media, podcasting, setting up systems, visibility, and so much more. Honestly, when I say these, these speakers are incredible, I'm not lying, they are amazing.

Karen [00:03:00]:
Now, my aim is simple, to help you stop relying on exchanging your time for money. Your time is so incredibly valuable. So I want to support you in building a business that gives you more flexibility, more freedom, and more opportunities. Registration is completely free. You can attend this event for free for the full three days and I would love you to join us. Simply head on over to my website, www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com and sign up for the event. There is a 27 pound offer that I'm running at the moment, so if you cannot attend all sessions live Then you may want to sign up for the all access pass. You will get lifetime access to all the record, also all of the bonuses as well.

Karen [00:04:02]:
And there are going to be some amazing bonuses that's going to be included. I highly recommend that you do this if you can. It's only £27 at the moment. At the event it's going to be 197 pound. So this is the early bird price. But the, the premise of this event is helping you actually move forward and take the action that you need to take. So I'm really excited about that. I will pop the link in today's show notes, but, but I hope you, you can join me and the rest of the speakers because it, it truly is going to be an amazing event.

Karen [00:04:45]:
Okay, so let's dive into today's episode. And today, as I said, I'm celebrating four years as a podcaster. Now for me, it's funny looking back because podcasting now feels like such a normal part business. I schedule it in and I do it every week and I don't batch record because I never quite know what it is that I'm going to be talking about before, sort of days before if you like. So on the Monday. So my podcast is released every Thursday and on a Monday, I will sit down and I will map out the episode. I am not one of these that batch records everything. I just can't do it.

Karen [00:05:33]:
It doesn't work the way I do things. I've tried and I failed. It just doesn't work. So every week I sit down, switch on the microphone, and I record an episode. Four years ago, it was really different because I nearly convinced myself not to start. I had every excuse that you could possibly have. I didn't feel ready. I didn't feel like I knew enough.

Karen [00:06:01]:
I didn't feel like anybody would listen. How could I even deliver weekly episodes? I'm going to run out of ideas. I'm going to dry up really quickly. So there was a moment where I'd. I'd almost kind of not done it and then I had to have a word with myself and I. What is interesting is that when I speak to other entrepreneurs about ideas that they've brought to life, so it doesn't necessarily mean podcasting. It could be creating a YouTube channel, or it could be building online course, or it could be creating a membership or building a community. It doesn't matter.

Karen [00:06:42]:
One thing that I think is really common amongst entrepreneurs is that at one point or another, they all have similar thoughts. It doesn't matter. Where you are on your journey, the doubt can creep in, and you end up carrying fear around what you're doing, whether it's a fear of judgment, a fear of failure, a fear that nobody will care. Now, when I talk to other people about it, it's really interesting to me because podcasting, to me now feels very natural. But it does make me realize that everybody suffers from it. Everyone suffers from imposter syndrome. Everybody suffers from that fear of fail, and also sometimes the fear of success, because we don't know where things are going to lead. And the reality is those fears aren't going to go anywhere.

Karen [00:07:44]:
The only way that you can tackle those fears is to push through them. And when I look back now at we saw before I launched my podcast, I wasn't ready. I didn't have it all figured out. But what I did do is I just got on with it. I recorded my first four episodes. So in that instance, I did batch record. I released my first four episodes, I scheduled them, and I shared posts about them. And I was absolutely terrified because this is the first time really, that I've really put myself out there in the public domain to be judged.

Karen [00:08:27]:
When I had my branding studio, I was always behind my business. But when I launched my podcast, it was almost like I was stepping out from the shadows and kind of almost making it about me, like, and my personal brand. And that was a very different energy to step into. It was a very different space for me. It was really uncomfortable. I'm not somebody that likes to be at the forefront of everything. I'm quite happy to kind of blend in the back. I don't need attention on me.

Karen [00:09:02]:
So having a podcast has meant that I've had to get comfortable with being visible, but also having people hear my voice and listening to what I say and sharing my thoughts and opinions, which is not something that I was doing publicly. All I knew was I wanted to share my voice. I believe that especially for women, we need our voices to be heard. There is a lot of noise out there, and there's a lot of amazing people that have so much to say. And I knew that I had a message that I wanted to share. And for me, that was the driver. I wanted people to hear what I had to say because I believe that what I share can really help other business owners, like myself, to create freedom in their business. And having gone through everything that I've gone through within 10 years of business, I was owning the fact that I'd learned, I had achieved, I had my own successes, and I wanted to share that.

Karen [00:10:22]:
And I wanted to also create something that breaks free from the hype that we see online and deliver it in a way that is grounded, that makes sense, and that is doable as well. I think we spend far too much time believing that we have to look like someone who's been doing something for years before we're actually allowed to begin. I think that's impossible. I think we have to own the fact that when we're starting out, we may not know what we're doing. And there's a beauty in that, there's a power in that because we're in that space to learn. And also remembering that everyone has to start somewhere. Now, fast forward four years, and for me, so much has changed because I've now recorded 168 episodes. I've received thousands and thousands of downloads.

Karen [00:11:23]:
I've been I, I'm listened to in 97 countries and over 670 cities around the world, which is crazy because all I am doing is jumping behind my mic and sharing what I know. That's it. And if you told me back at the beginning, I wouldn't have believed you. Not because I didn't believe in myself, but because I couldn't possibly imagine where one small decision would lead. And that's the thing about taking action. You never get to see the opportunities that exist on the path that you never take. Now. The reality is podcasting has changed my business.

Karen [00:12:09]:
I get asked a lot, is podcasting worth it? And for me, 100%. Has podcasting made me millions? No, that's never been the point. I've never been somebody to chase the money. I know there are people in the podcasting world that downloads needs to equal cash. That's not why I do this. For me, it's about sharing what I know, creating an impact and helping people along their journey. It has done so much more for me than made me money. Has it made me money? Absolutely.

Karen [00:12:48]:
It has built trust and it has nurtured my audience. And that nurturing has led to sales. Of course it has. But what it's done, it's allowed people to get to know me. When somebody listens to you every single week, they begin to understand how you think. They, they get to know your personality and your values and your approach. By the time someone reaches out to you to work with you, they feel like they know you already. And I've been on calls with people where they've turn ran to me and said, I've been listening to you for years.

Karen [00:13:22]:
I've listened to so many of your episodes, and now I'm speaking to you, which is crazy to me because I just do what I do. But the reality is, naturally, this podcast has led to clients, it's led to speaking opportunities, it's led to collaborations, amazing conversations off the back of this. I've created friendships, I've had guest interviews. I delivered a program last year all about launching your first podcast. And that was amazing. And I've had opportunities that I would never have predicted. And I think one of the biggest benefits of all has been that it's forced me to keep learning, to keep reflecting, and most importantly, to keep showing up. Now, there is not a magic formula in business.

Karen [00:14:15]:
There is no magic formula. The people that get success in business, they get success because they show up, they take action, they learn, they refine, and they stay consistent. That is it. I don't think there is anybody out there that has been on a path, just followed the path and got to where they want to get to. It doesn't work like that. So one of the biggest lessons that I've learned myself over the past four years is that that consistency where we are showing up and we're doing our thing and taking action, that consistency compounds over time. One episode probably won't change any business. Ten episodes probably won't either.

Karen [00:15:02]:
But 168, that's a library. It's years of searchable content that people can have access to. It's years of helping people, of building trust. And every single episode that I have released becomes another opportunity for somebody to discover my business. Sometimes I receive messages from people who've listened to episodes that I recorded years ago while I was asleep, while I was on holiday, while I was spending time with my family. And that's the beauty of creating content that lasts, and it continues to work long after you've created it. Now, something that I feel really passionate about is that whilst social media is brilliant and I use Instagram, I use LinkedIn, Facebook, I'm dipping my toe in YouTube at the moment. I don't know YouTube as well.

Karen [00:15:57]:
But the reality is it doesn't matter how brilliant these platforms are, we don't own them. Algorithms change, reach changes, platforms come and go. But a podcast, a blog, an email list, these are valuable assets that we have in our businesses, and they're the things that you're building for long term growth. And that's why I believe that every entrepreneur should have at least one platform that they truly own. I went onto my Instagram platform yesterday. I released some content and I got A message to say they've limited my account because I think that one of the bots has picked up a word that infringes their community guidelines. There is nothing on my Instagram account that should infringe anything. I don't talk about money, I don't talk about investments, I don't talk about sort of shady stuff.

Karen [00:16:55]:
But their bot has picked something up, so I'm having to appeal it. But if I've, and I have been spending years build an audience on there and then Instagram decide to shut me down, my audience has gone almost overnight, and that's the danger. So when you choose a platform like podcasting, this is something that I own. I own these episodes. This is my content. Everything I create is original. So I'm not having to worry that somebody's going to come along and shut me down. So if you've been thinking about starting something, maybe it's a podcast or a newsletter or a YouTube channel, maybe you've been thinking about writing a book, creating your first online course or your first digital product, launching your first micro offer, and you're telling yourself, I'll do it when I'm ready, when I have better tech, when I have more knowledge, when I've done that degree, when I've done that training, whatever it is.

Karen [00:18:04]:
I want to encourage you to stop waiting. You're never going to be ready. It's like having children. If you'd said to me, was I ready? When I had my first child, I was not ready. I did not know what I was in for. But we went for it, and we had our first child and we're still here. You know, she's still alive, you know, pat on the back to us. We've kept her alive for 14 years.

Karen [00:18:31]:
We still have no idea what we're doing. And most of the time in my business, I have no idea what I'm doing. But what I do do is I show up, I take action, and I throw myself in. And I just learn as I go. And when I do that, something amazing happens because things then fall into place. It's all about consistency. So waiting until you're ready rarely works. Confidence comes from taking action, action.

Karen [00:19:04]:
It doesn't just find you. Action creates that confidence. It's not the other way around. So if you're sitting there thinking, you know what? I would love to do, whatever, I'd love to start a business, I would love to run a retreat, I would love to host a networking group, do it. It'll be one of the best experiences you'll probably have now. Looking back over the last four years, I am so grateful that I ignored the voice inside me telling me that I wasn't ready. I don't know where my business would be today if I hadn't pressed publish. So today I would like to just simply say thank you.

Karen [00:19:54]:
Thank you if you have listened to one episode, thank you. If you have listened to 10 episodes, or if you've listened to all 168 episodes, thank you to you. If you've ever shared an episode, left a review, or recommended this podcast to anybody else. I genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, appreciate you as my listener and I'm so excited to be going into the next chapter and I've got so many more conversations to come. I'm so excited because in the next few weeks I'm going to be releasing the Summit speaker series where I'm going to be introducing the speakers to you. Each week. I'm going to be sharing all about the Summit, what I've learned and the you know, the good, the bad, the ugly. The one thing podcasting gives me is a platform to share things on, and I do it in a way that I hope is valuable to you.

Karen [00:21:01]:
So thank you. I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to this show. Now, before I finish, please don't forget to grab your free ticket to the Online Business Growth Summit. Head on over to my website www.sellyourbrilliancesonline.com. thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. I hope this has given you some clarity and sparked some new ideas for your business. If you have found this helpful, then I would love you to share it with a friend who is also building their online business because it might be exactly what they need to hear today. 

And if this episode has you thinking that you are now ready to start turning your valuable expertise into income, then I would love to invite you to the free summit that I'm delivering in October called the Online Business Growth Summit.

Karen [00:21:59]:
Head on over to my website to grab your free ticket www.sellyourbrillianceonline.com where you can register and be the first to hear about all the upcoming updates. I will be back next week with another episode, but until then, have a wonderful wake up.